Forbes annual list of the world's billionaires came out today, and I'm not on it. I checked twice.
Of the 793 billionaires on the list, 371 are from the place I call home, the USA. 40 of those hail from New York City, the largest group from one any city.
The youngest person on the list is just 22 years old, and the oldest is 97. 39 of those on the list declined to reveal their ages, but, heck, when you have that much money I guess you're entitled to a few secrets.
Women made up almost 10% of the list this year. There are 78 of them on the list, although only 6 of those say they made their billions the old-fashioned way. The remainder either married it or inherited it.
Number one on the list? Bill Gates, for the 12th year in a row, with a net worth of $50 billion, equal to his age. Since he is the richest person in the world, I guess he won't mind if I pass along a little joke I read, at his company's expense, just to vent my frustration over the computer issues I've been dealing with lately.
Microsoft Tech Support Saves the Day
There was a pilot flying a small single engine charter plane, with a couple of very important executives on board. He was coming into Seattle airport through thick fog with less than 10m visibility when his instruments went out. So he began circling around looking for a landmark. After an hour or so, he starts running pretty low on fuel and the passengers are getting very nervous.
Finally, a small opening in the fog appears and he sees a tall building with one guy working alone on the fifth floor. The pilot banks the plane around, rolls down the window and shouts to the guy, "Hey, where am I?". To this, the solitary office worker replies "You're in a plane." The pilot rolls up the window, executes a 275 degree turn and proceeds to execute a perfect blind landing on the runway of the airport 5 miles away. Just as the plane stops, so does the engine as the fuel has run out.
The passengers are amazed and one asks how he did it. "Easy." replies the pilot, "I asked the guy in that building a simple question. The answer he gave me was 100 percent correct but absolutely useless, therefore that must be Microsoft's support office and from there the airport is exactly 5 miles away."
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